


my needs are simple

by cinderlily



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 02:51:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10630623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderlily/pseuds/cinderlily
Summary: "Things you said when I wasn't supposed to hear"Tyler overhears Jamie on a phone call from Jenny.





	

Tyler might have broken a few speeding laws on the way home from the airport but he didn’t care. He knew that when he got into the doors their house would have a _Jamie_ in it and it had been three long as hell months with a Jamie sized hole in his life and he was totally ready to not have that happen. He slid into the empty space beside Jamie’s stupidly big truck and smiled at himself. 

Living with your best friend was pretty much the best idea he’d ever had, and it had been his die even if Jamie denied it. After the whole… Jordie leaving thing… Jamie had had that sad look on his face for weeks and weeks. Jamie’s house was huge, and truth told Tyler wasn’t yet made for living on his own so it was pretty perfect to just sell his house and move in. 

He opened the door from the garage to the house, took his shoes off because Jamie was crazy about that, and was about four seconds away from screaming a Ricky Ricardo ‘HONEY, I’M HOME!’ at the top of his lungs when he instead heard yelling of a different kind. He blinked, Jamie wasn’t one for yelling at people, except on the ice, so the tone of voice was a little… off-putting. 

He crept through the hallway, only feeling okay with it because it was _technically_ his hallway too. (Though Jamie refused to let him pay rent, he sent a check in Jamie’s honor to a charity each month.) He was about halfway down the hall when the words that were just loud noises started to take shape. 

“Jenny, I swear to Gd, you need to stop this…” 

He paused mid-step. Jenny? Why was he yelling at Jenny? He’d only met her a handful of times but he knew the Benn crew were tight as hell and mostly the fighting were between the two boys. 

“If he knew, it would be… It could ruin everything. And I’m not just talking our friendship. It could ruin my career. It could ruin my _life_ …” 

A long pause. 

“No, I don’t think… I mean. I hope he wouldn’t. But there is a chance. There is always a chance. I made the choice of the direction of my life when I was twelve. This is not it… I can’t just. If he got mad…” 

Tyler felt his hands ball into fists. Whoever this ‘he’ was was going to get a punch to the fucking face for making the anxiety in Jamie’s voice pop up. That was not cool. Not at all. No one messed with Jamie Randolph Benn without going through Tyler first. 

“… because that’s how this game is played, Jen.” 

Tyler’s jaw clenched. He sounded so defeated, Tyler had gone from hearing everything clearly to having to strain to hear everything. He took another few steps. He knew where he could walk to before it being heard. The benefits of his socked feet was the stealth. 

“No. I’m okay with… I’m okay with what we have. It’s good. We have a good deal. He’s really been great about Jordie leaving. He didn’t have to move in. I mean, he had a house and he just gave it up to come here and make sure I didn’t mope? That’s enough for me.” 

Which. Well. Gave Tyler pause. Apparently, he was the asshole? Except he was usually acutely aware of when he was the asshole. He’d been made more than aware of his asshole tendencies, through his coaches, the media, the fans… He was aware he had some things to work on. Here? He had no idea. 

He hadn’t moved into Jamie’s for pity. Hell, if anything he was glad that Jamie was here and had _let him_ move in when he was sure that Jamie could have easily told him he could live on his own. 

“Look, I have to go, his plane landed ten minutes ago. I’ve got to feed the dogs and maybe scrounge up some food for us… Yes. I know. I love you, too Jen-Benn.” 

The words ‘dogs’ didn’t register in his head until suddenly he heard the back door open and knew he had about fourteen seconds to react. Cash, as much as he loved him, was about as smart as a bag of rocks, but Marshall, well Marshall had to have bloodhound mixed in his blood. 

He ran back a few steps towards the door and turned around just in time for Marshall to go running down the hall towards him. He swallowed around the lump in his throat and knelt down. 

“Honey, I’m home!” he called out, even though it was not nearly as loud or obnoxious as it could have been a few minutes before. 

Jamie peered around the corner from the living room and looked… a little red. Like he’d been in the sun for way too long. Cash was jumping around Jamie’s feet and took a full minute to even realize that Tyler was home. He then proceeded to charge at Tyler and knock him down. 

“Hey, Jamison, miss me?” Tyler said from the floor, going for easy but coming out a little fifteen years old going through the change. 

Jamie tilted his head and shrugged, smile firmly in place. “Well, the kids did.” 

“Obviously they did,” Tyler said, giving small kisses to the tip of both of the dogs' noses. “Daddy was gone for weeks WEEEEEKS. That is forever in puppy time, right buddies?” 

Marshall whined like he understood Tyler’s words. He nudged at Tyler’s side with his nose. Tyler pushed himself up onto his knees and then moved himself to get up onto his feet with a little oof of air coming out. 

“That was easier two years ago,” Tyler said, brushing off his knees. 

Jamie rolled his eyes. “You’re barely in your mid-twenties, brat.” 

“I’m an old soul,” he smirked, hoping for Jamie to react his usual way, with a chirp and maybe a shove. But nothing. 

Instead, Jamie shrugged and turned around towards the kitchen. “I was thinking of scrounging for dinner but maybe we should go with something easier. Qwik Chinese?” 

Tyler frowned at Jamie’s back. “Sure, buddy. Sounds good. But if you get the beef and broccoli and I get the Buddha’s Delight, you have no stealing rights. Get your own if you want it.” 

Another perfect opening for him to tease about stealing people’s food and Jamie didn’t say a thing. A rock started to form at the pit of his stomach. He walked down the hallway and into the kitchen area where Jamie was looking at the menu that was usually kept on their fridge. 

“Jamie,” Tyler said, his voice soft enough that he could be a freaking horse whisperer. 

Jamie dedicatedly looked at the menu. “How about I order Buddha’s Delight and you order the Chicken Fried Rice and we split. Ooo. And egg rolls. Spring rolls? I mean, we should go out in style…” 

“Jamie,” he said, firmer and louder. He caught sight of Cash looking at him like he was going to scold him for trying to get on the counter or something. 

“Yeah?” Jamie said, slowly turning his head, face still bright red and ears turning redder by the minute. 

He thought of about a thousand questions he could ask, then the ones he should ask but nothing seemed like a good way to start. “Are you… cool with the fact I moved in?” 

Jamie brushed his free hand along his jeans. Which, if Tyler thought about it, was odd. Usually, Jamie was in his Stars sweatpants if he was going to be at home for longer than an hour. Instead, he was in his nice dark jeans and the shirt that Tyler sent him from Germany over the summer. 

“What are you talking about, Seggy?” Jamie said, just a little manically. “I mean, you throw your shit everywhere and your dogs are kind of crazy but … I like you here.” 

Tyler didn’t point out that he also had a lady come in once a week to pick up his shit, cause he could pay for it so why not? Instead, he eyed him. Jamie looked away and then back, swallowed. “It’s not the living here bit. Are you annoyed I didn’t really ask?” 

“Whatever. When do you ever ask about anything?” 

“Okay.” 

Jamie put the paper on the island and crossed his arms. His jaw was clenched. “I like you being here. Can we just order Chinese and move on. I mean, it’s still an hour till I get hungry but … Qwik Chinese is seriously just the name, not the actual speed they get it to you.” 

“Well,” Tyler said, bracing himself. “I was just curious as to why you were telling your sister I was going to get pissed at you or like… do something shitty. Cause I know I’ve done shitty things in the past but I’ve moved on. I’ve grown up.” 

All the color drained from Jamie’s face. “You heard that?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping,” Jamie said, and his face had the quality of his Captain ‘we just lost a gimme game’ look. 

Tyler mimicked his stance, crossing his arms and frowning. “You shouldn’t be making assumptions about your best friend when you know he’d do anything for you, fucker.” 

The dogs, sensing tension, went to their sides. Cash was at Jamie’s feet and Marshall stood beside Tyler. It made him feel a weird pressure in his chest at how much his dogs had become _their_ dogs. In as much as this house had become _their _house. Come to think of it, a lot of his stuff and Jamie’s stuff had intertwined without him truly realizing it.__

__Jamie looked at him pleadingly. “Come on Ty, trust me. I’m not mad at you. I don't think you are a shitty person. I just need you to let it go.”_ _

__“Not going to happen,” Tyler said, tilting his head to one side. “Because up until you said that we lived together I was planning on kicking this fucker’s ass, teammate or no teammate… I don’t plan on kicking my own ass. But if I have to, I will.”_ _

__That got a dry chuckle from Jamie, who was rubbing his hands through his stupid goatee over and over again. Tyler wished he would get rid of it but apparently, it was a thing and he wasn’t going to fight it as it wasn’t his goatee. Still, he missed his baby-faced Captain. He seemingly braced himself. “We might want to sit down.”_ _

__Tyler followed Jamie to the little table off side the kitchen and felt the ball of tension in his stomach growing. He had images of trades and illness. Of family members being ill. Of… Well. Everything. He wasn’t sure. Jamie certainly looked like he was going to admit to murdering someone._ _

__They sat, first Tyler sat beside him but then Jamie got up and moved across the table to face him. Not a good sign. At least… not that he could think of._ _

__“Okay, you are either telling me right now or I am going to put Nair in your beard cream,” Tyler burst out because really? Enough was enough and his whole body was going tingly in that way that spoke of numbness._ _

__Jamie’s eyes were on the table, all but burning holes in the wood. “Remember when you told me you were bi?”_ _

__He nodded. Did he remember? Yeah. He remembered. He had told him about it three weeks into his friendship with Jamie and thought Jamie might actually stop being his friend. Except he didn’t, not at all. Twelve hours of ‘thinking’ later Jamie clapped him on the back and grinned at him making some stupid comment about doubling his pool or some shit and then they went back to their normal friendship. They hadn’t really talked about it since._ _

__“Here’s the thing,” Jamie said. “I’m bi. Or. Queer? Or. Not _straight_. I don’t know really.” _ _

__If he’d been drinking something he would have done a spit-take but rather he choked on air. Oh…kay. Years of friendship to get to this point but whatever._ _

__“Why would I be mad? I mean… sure you could have told me then but whatever…”_ _

__“I didn’t really _know_ then. I had thoughts. I just didn’t… I thought it was just appreciation of people,” Jamie said. “Or some bullshit like that. And then you just _said it_ like it was normal…” _ _

__Tyler balled a fist. “It is normal.”_ _

__“I know,” Jamie looked up. “I just. Didn’t at the time, okay? And I had all these mixed feelings. That kept going away and coming back and then I convinced myself out of them. And it was all … fucked up, you know?”_ _

__“Kind of, but go on.”_ _

__Jamie put a hand up and beside him, Cash stood on the chair to lick at his face. “You… I had those feelings for _you_. And I tried, god, I tried to fix it. To change it. I mean there are levels and there are like fucking _levels_. I was… unsure. I was scared. So I kept it to myself for years.” _ _

__Tyler blinked at him, coming up with no words. He wasn’t sure if he was asleep on the plane, or possibly getting Punk’d or… he wasn’t even sure what the hell other types of things this was going towards. He gaped and Jamie put on his serious face, which with the goatee made him almost look like Jordie. It was pretty disconcerting._ _

__“I know, no teammates. Hard no. Strong no,” Jamie said. “Which is why I tried to avoid it. But then you _moved in_ , Segs. And it was like no escape. Even when I got in a _week_ ago the place had your scent all over it. It was fucking nuts. And your shit was everywhere. Then I picked up the dogs and … it was like they knew. They kept bringing me your stuff like you were supposed to be here. Which you were. Because this is your home.” _ _

__The first coherent thought in his head was that was pretty cute about his dogs. His boys missed him even when their other dad was around to keep them company. His second coherent thought was ‘second dad’. All the things that’d he’d been feeling were bubbling to the top._ _

__When he’d told Jamie about him being bi he was, of course, testing the waters for the fact that his Captain wasn’t a total douche nozzle. But then again, he couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t seeing if he was the only one to have those feelings because… well._ _

___Jamie._ _ _

__He was tall and broad and understood hockey better than most people he knew. He put his teammates first. He was always the first one to take care of ‘his’ players. He practically adopted Tyler right not eh spot as he got off the airplane… even before that in brief texts back and forth. He was the one that helped pick up the broken pieces Boston left behind of Tyler and make him Tyler Seguin again._ _

__It didn’t hurt that Jamie was a freaking brick house. His thighs were absolutely insane, his arms something that could have been sculpted by a master. He was gorgeous, with the stupid smile and dimples and also the kind of idiot that didn’t know about it. He thought, somehow that he was just a goofy idiot. Which, well, he kind of was. But he was a goofy idiot who was amazing and awesome and hot and … possibly he was Tyler’s at the same time?_ _

__For the first time, he understood why the table was separating them. He was afraid that he was going to get hit. He was afraid Tyler might actually deck him. Which was completely absurd on a lot of levels, not the least of which being that he was the one talking to a guy who freely-ish admitted to being bisexual after only a short while. Like what kind of double standard douche would that make him if he wasn’t okay with Jamie being bi as well?_ _

__He stood up slowly, this time he was the going gently like he was going to spook Jamie. He walked around the table gently and sat down at the chair beside Jamie’s. He thought idly of grabbing his hand but was afraid Jamie was a little jumpy about that. He thought maybe he would just put his hand on his arm but even that felt like it might be misread._ _

__“Look at me,” Tyler pleaded lowly. Jamie gritted his teeth harder, and fuck, the dude was going to have to go to the dentist before the freaking season started which was out of control dumb. “Jamie Benn, fucking look at me dude.”_ _

__Jamie hesitated again, but turned his face towards him and didn’t move his eyes for a full ten seconds before he seemed to brace himself to do so._ _

__“You fucker,” Tyler said, a smile on his face as he leaned in and pressed his lips against Jamie’s open mouth. Jamie closed his lips quickly and Tyler got to actually enjoy the second kiss. Because _seriously_. “You dumb dumb fucker.” _ _

__“Thanks?” Jamie retorted, his face blank but for a slight tip of one side of his lips. Tyler pressed his lips to the upwards turned corner. He put his hand behind Jamie’s head, pulling him in and Jamie slipped a hand behind Tyler’s back. It was warm and somehow familiar and comfortable but exciting at the same time._ _

__Cash and Marshall were, apparently, confused as hell by the actions and instead tried to get the two of them to separate. Cash was batting at Tyler’s knees and whining, Marshall’s feet on top of Cash’s head trying to move their faces apart with his snout. Jamie was the first to crack, pulling back to laugh and pet Marshall gently._ _

__“Maybe we should…” he jerked his thumb towards his bedroom and Tyler thought for a moment about the way he must smell from the airplane ride and how he must look from being up at ass o’clock but neither seemed to matter. Honestly, he couldn’t care less when it came to the smile he was getting and the hand that was offered._ _

__He nodded his head vigorously. “We most definitely should.”_ _

__They filled the dogs treat balls to the brim and with them sufficiently distracted they slipped into Jamie’s bedroom. Tyler even remembered to lock the door, as Marshall was a crafty little dude and the last thing he needed was a snout placed on his body at an inopportune time._ _

__*_ _

__Later, over Qwik Chinese they ordered just minutes before they stopped taking orders, they passed their boxes back and forth and didn’t debate over who had won or lost at the food games. They didn’t talk about the sex they’d had. The didn’t even chide each other for taking forever to get to where they were._ _

__Instead, they spent the bulk of their time, between lazy kisses, talking about the upcoming season. The new players who Jamie was trying to figure out, the rookies who looked impossibly young and the fact of how it was going to be _their season_. And why the hell not? _ _

__Tyler was pretty sure he was getting everything he ever wanted. He just wasn’t sure why, but he was sure Jamie was the main catalyst for all of it._ _

**Author's Note:**

> My needs are simple  
> I don't need a pistol to make you say my name  
> "Stick Up" by Max


End file.
